The companies agreed to further develop Zymeworks’ Effector Function Enhancement and Control Technology (EFECT) platform by designing, engineering, and testing new engineered Fc domains with specific antibody-mediated immune responses.
The EFECT platform features antibody Fc modifications engineered to change the antibody-mediated immune response activity, including both the up and down-regulation of effector functions.
It is compatible with traditional monoclonal and bi-specific antibodies made via Zymeworks’ Azymetric platform.
GSK and Zymeworks will both have the right for the development and commercialization of monoclonal and bi-specific antibody candidates featuring the Fc domains.
GSK will hold the right to develop a minimum of four products across various disease areas.
The company is entitled to pay Zymeworks up to $110m per product for achieving preclinical, clinical, and commercial milestones, as well as tiered sales royalties.
Zymeworks president & CEO Ali Tehrani said: "This is a unique opportunity for Zymeworks to apply our antibody engineering expertise in collaboration with GSK’s drug discovery capabilities to develop and commercialize novel antibody therapeutics.
"The collaboration will also allow Zymeworks to combine the novel immune-modulating Fc domains with our Azymetric platform to generate bi-specific antibodies with customized immune modulatory functions."
Image: GlaxoSmithKline headquaters in Brentford, London, England. Photo: courtesy of Maxwell Hamilton.